Fall River man arrested after allegedly arming self with knife

FALL RIVER — Police arrested a Fall River man who is accused of assaulting a woman who had refused him to give him money after he approached her on East Main Street.

It is also alleged that Joseph Carela-Carty, 23, of 163 Lamphor St., shoved the woman into a nearby entryway, with the struggle spilling into an open first-floor apartment. There, Carela-Carty is alleged to have armed himself with a large kitchen knife and assaulted the victim until the apartment’s occupant intervened and forced him to flee the area, Fall River police Lt. Ronald Furtado said.

Police arrested Carela-Carty on Sunday after receiving information that he was in an apartment on Wilbur Street. Furtado said the officers apprehended him when he tried to flee the area. The officers also seized two knives, Furtado said.

Carela-Carty was charged with armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, witness intimidation, home invasion and kidnapping.

The victim said the assault happened last Friday after the suspect confronted her as she was walking to a convenience store on East Main Street. She said the suspect asked her for money, and that she declined and went into the store. When she walked back out, she said the suspect approached her again and asked for money. When she declined, he allegedly grabbed her and threw her into the adjacent doorway on the 70 block of East Main Street. During the alleged assault, the woman said she was struck several times, Furtado said.

Carela-Carty was expected to be arraigned this week at Fall River District Court.